Seoul National dormitories overflowing with foreigners

With foreign study-abroad students entering Seoul National University dormitories in large numbers, students from the provinces are complaining that they have no chance to live in the dormitories.

The SNU dormitory Gwanaksa had 26 undergraduate and 36 graduate students too many to enter the dorms when the second semester began on the 8th.

On June 2, over 1,500 students applied to enter the dormitory for the second semester, and they waited for over two months. Although that may seem to have been a normal number in the past, it was beyond expectations. All 357 foreign students were able to secure rooms.

Gwanaksa announced: “The university administration has ordered that foreign students be given preference in access to dormitories… the 357 foreigners who receive preference include students with government scholarships and transfer students.”

24-year-old Kim, a senior majoring in economics who received a preference number of 70, said: “In the past you were safe if you had a number no higher than 80… I waited two months to get into the dorm, so why should foreign students get such preference?”

23-year-old Kang, a senior from Jeju-do majoring in psychology, said: “Students from the provinces have family circumstances that are not as good as those of foreign students, so shouldn’t we get preferences?”

An official at Gwanaksa said: “The number of foreign study-abroad students needing dormitory housing has increased since last year, so there is nothing that can be done.”